A very worried Iryna, a 54-year-old woman, turned to the Kharkiv Center for Assistance to Victims of Violence for help. She and her roommate had moved to Kharkiv from the city of Kupyansk. She reported that she was living in Kharkiv in an apartment where her friend, who had moved abroad, had allowed her and her roommate to temporarily live.
Iryna said that her roommate was physically and psychologically abusive towards her. She also said that such a relationship had been going on since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and their forced relocation. According to the woman, they spent a long time in a damp cellar. When the specialists were finding out Iryna's needs, she said that recently she had been very worried about chest pains, that she had difficulty breathing and coughing, and was constantly tired.
During the consultation, it turned out that the woman did not sign a declaration with her family doctor because she does not believe in innovations and medical reform, does not have available information on how to carry out the procedure for signing it, and she did not remember the fluorography at all when she underwent it.
According to the reported health complaints, the social worker, as part of the project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis", conducted a screening and understood that Iryna had symptoms that could indicate that she had a form of tuberculosis. The specialist explained to Iryna that it was extremely important to ensure continuous access to tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible, and she had all the possible symptoms of this disease.
The woman was referred to a medical facility, where she underwent an examination, and after being diagnosed with TB, treatment, which has now been successfully completed.
Thus, the social worker's concern, attentiveness, and persuasiveness saved another life.
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The project "You Should Know About Tuberculosis" is implemented by the NGO "Social Initiatives for Occupational Health and Safety" (LHSI) with a grant from The Global Fund through the Public Health Alliance.